Cine Europa: A taste of global cinema

 Ms. Stela Mariz Acain sent me an invitation to the launch of the 26th Cine Europa. There were several guests there, including the ambassador of the European Union Luc Veron, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, SM City Cebu operations manager Ms. Ana Kristin Therese Seno, members of the Arts Council of Cebu, friends from the media, and others.

Cine Europa, which is annually celebrated, is the country’s longest premier film festival. The event is returning totally onsite for its 26th year! Twenty eight multi-awarded films were shown in theaters and outdoor locations by different movie theaters in Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Davao.

This year’s version is special because it is returning to exclusively on-site screenings. The pandemic made it necessary for Cine Europa to be hosted online in 2020 and 2021, which brought challenges and less success than in previous years. In 2022, hybrid screenings increased the number of festival attendees.

For the 2023 edition of the film festival, though there is no particular theme, the organizers and embassy members chose films from various genres to present the best of what European cinema has to offer.

The opening film was “Rein à Foutre” a Franco-Belgian comedy-drama film directed by Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lacoustre. It revolves around 26-year-old flight attendant Cassandra Wassel who loses her job at a low-cost budget airline. Based in Lanzarote, she is always willing to take on extra hours and performs her duties with robotic efficiency. When she was dismissed she is forced to return home.

A documentary from Sweden titled “Historja – Stitches for Sapmi”, directed by Thomas Jackson, is about the Sami female artist Britta Marakatt-Labba, whose art showcases Sami culture and how reindeer husbandry is affected by the climate crisis.

“Murina” (Croatia and Slovenia), a coming-of-age drama about a young woman, her father, and an old acquaintance who strikes a life-altering agreement, is one of the other movies that are being screened. Young Zelma and her quest for a perfect love and enduring marriage are the subjects of the adult animated feature film “My Love Affair with Marriage” (Latvia and Luxembourg). “Girl”, another movie from Belgium, centers on 15-year-old Lara, who aspires to be a ballerina. The Irish movie “Ensilumi” (Any Day Now) follows an Iranian family as they apply for asylum while residing in a refugee center. “Róise & Frank”, an additional Irish film, is a warm-hearted and humorous story about a widower Róise who thinks a stray dog represents the soul of her late husband, Frank.

Danish film “Miss Viborg” is about two women from different generations who share an unlikely friendship. This film was awarded Best Nordic/Dutch Film Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. German documentary “The Cleaners” follows the work of content moderators in Manila and their harrowing day-to-day lives. “Szelíd” (Gentle), from Hungary, is a fictional documentary about a female bodybuilder whose dream is to win Miss Olympia. Spanish film “Ramona” is a comedy about the immortal feud between sense and sensibility.

There are also other movies out there that demonstrate a unique fusion of technical mastery, artistic skill, and cultural awareness. It is feasible for us to see beyond what we have because the world has no borders, as demonstrated by Cine Europa’s success. Our appreciation of and openness to the arts and cultures from throughout the world is reflected in this success. It proves that there is unity in diversity through the film medium, which allows for the depiction of many languages, customs, and practices.